Guardian of Gotham
Guardian of Gotham is the fourth episode of Batman: The Telltale Series. The episode follows Bruce Wayne/Batman as he attempts to locate Lady Arkham, whilst dealing with new problems made by Harvey Dent and the Children of Arkham. The episode was released on November 22, 2016. Plot Following his brutal assault on Oswald Cobblepot, Bruce, upon regaining his senses, finds himself in a padded cell in Arkham Asylum, but still suffers from the effects of the drug injected into him. Dressing into overalls, he is greeted by an orderly, who lets two of his father's victims into his cell and gives them a taser. Though he puts up a fight, Bruce is subdued and beaten by the men, only to be saved by another inmate. As Dr. Leland arrives, she asks Bruce to know what happened, to which he can lie or tell them about what the patient did. As they leave for the recreation room, Leland introduces the patient as their name for him, "John Doe". As they are taken to through the Asylum, Bruce sees how derelict the conditions are due to his father's use of the asylum. As they arrived at the Recreation Room, Leland leaves them to attend to another matter. As John leaves to get the remote, he gives Bruce a key. He can explore the room and interact with the other patients, including Victor Zsasz and Arnold Wesker, and/or try the key on a number of different objects. When John returns, he switches to the news channel, showing one of Dent's addresses to the city. If Bruce tried to use the key, John will laugh, revealing it to have been a fake and that Bruce "actually tried to use it". With the report revealing that Harvey Dent was the one who sent him to the asylum, Bruce realizes that was sent there because of his perceived affair with Selina and that his increasing mental instability. When a report reveals that Vicki Vale has gone missing, Doe reveals his knowledge that she is Lady Arkham. Believing Bruce to be on a collision course with her, he reveals that she is actually the daughter of the Arkhams, the family that ran the Asylum, having been adopted by the Vales. John also reveals that Vicki seeks retribution for her parents' deaths, having been murdered on Thomas Wayne's orders to prevent them from blowing the whistle on his activities. Offering to help Bruce escape from the asylum, John asks for a favour, but will go through with the plans regardless of whether he accepts or not. To achieve this, he starts a riot by cutting Zsasz cheek and causing the killer to have a psychotic breakdown. Lashing out, Zsasz is able to attack the attention of the orderlies and gives Bruce the opportunity to use the phone. However, he also has the option of trying to stop Zsasz and prevent more fighting. * Stop the fight. * Use the phone. Bruce chooses stop Zsasz and put an end to the fighting, putting himself in front of the other inmates. Though he is able to put up a good fight, Zsasz gets the upper hand and knocks him unconscious. Bruce decides to use the opportunity to escape and use the phone. After ringing Alfred to get in contact with the family lawyers or Gordon to offer testimony for Montoya, John will appear at the gate and tell him to "ask the Vales". Shortly afterwards, Bruce is taken away by Dr. Leland and an orderly to his cell. Following the riot, Bruce is questioned on the events and asked to tell Leland what had happened. However, during the midst of it, Alfred arrives to take Bruce to the Manor, having either been able to rally the lawyers to release Bruce on bail or Gordon accepting his offer and arranging for him to be released. Despite Leland's protests, Bruce is released into Alfred care and given permission to leave the asylum. As they do, they encounter John, who will either tell Bruce to "ask the Vales" or that he will see him on the outside, depending on what he chose to do during the riot. As they return to Wayne Manor, Bruce reveals to Alfred his knowledge on Lady Arkham's identity and learns about what has happened to Gotham during his incarceration. If he advised Selina to leave Gotham, he will receive a text from her to check up on him after his release. Bruce then receives a call from Harvey, still bitter for "stealing Selina from him", who threatens his old friend. He explains that he has turned public opinion against the Wayne name and is using Bruce as a figure of hate in the city. After feeling the effects of his drugging kick in, Bruce hangs up, just as he and Alfred arrive at one of Dent's checkpoints. With the enforcers refusing to let them by, either due to Bruce refusing to let them search his car or deliberately stalling, a crowd gathers, shouting abuse and demand Bruce to be returned to Arkham. However, with the enforcers trying to get a bribe out of him, Bruce has the option of either telling Alfred to ram through the checkpoint, which will damage his reputation further, or give in to their demands, going through peacefully. If the player offered Selina to stay at Wayne Manor, she will contact Bruce after this incident, asking to talk when he gets back. When they do, she reveals that she will be leaving Gotham, fearing repercussions from Harvey. Despite Bruce's protests, she goes through anyway, but not without a few more chores in Gotham. Selina then leaves, wishing Bruce luck facing the Children of Arkham and repairing his reputation. Returning to the Batcave, Alfred worries about the effects the Arkham drug is having on Bruce. Using the records of both the drug on Montoya, Bruce reveals that it targets specific sections of the victim's DNA, making them angry or susceptible to suggestions. Using a record of his DNA, he is able to synthesize a cure and injects it. However, he also reveals that the drug targets random genes in a person, meaning that they would have to records of the DNA for all those affected to create a cure for each specific person, something impossible at that moment in time. After being cured, he decides to follow John's advice and investigate the Vales to work out Vicki's plans as Batman. If he asked Lucius to work for him, he will be given a new device called the Strobe Grenade, in case he needs it. Batman arrives at the Vale Residence that evening, only to find the corpse of Mrs. Vale and the signs of a fight or struggle. Deciding to investigate, he also discovers Mr. Vales' body hung in the pantry by his belt. Using the evidence provide, Batman deduces that Vicki had murdered her parents to gain access to her foster father's Water Heating Company, where she is stockpiling the drug. Although uncertain why she murdered them, he is distracted upon hearing a noise. Realizing that there is someone in the house, he finds the Vale's foster son hiding under the stairs. The boy is able to prove Batman's theory and, as he helps him out, a drone controlled by the Penguin attacks. Batman is able to destroy the drone, with the boy's help, but one of his gadgets malfunctions during the fight. Handing the boy over to Gordon, he reveals what he has been able to learn, but leaves to investigate the problem with his gadget. Returning to the Batcave, Bruce views the gadget, only to find that it was functioning normally, but receiving a signal from Wayne Enterprises. With Lucius' help, he realizes that Penguin is hacking his tech by sending a computer bug, which is causing the tech to malfunction. Deciding how to stop this, Bruce also learns that Harvey is intending to seize Wayne Manor and throw him out onto the streets. At Alfred's suggestion, he decides to go talk to him, either as himself or Batman. * Go as Bruce. * Go as Batman. Bruce decides to talk to Harvey as himself, hoping that he can reach out to him on a personal level. When he arrives, Harvey refuses to negotiate, regardless of his disfigurement, commenting that he has already made up his mind. Despite Bruce's objections, even denying the affair if he didn't sleep with Selina, he reveals that he now believes himself to be a "strong leader" and orders his men to destroy the warehouse where Lady Arkham had been storing her chemicals. Scolded for this by Bruce, Harvey orders his men to take him away to Crime Alley and execute him there. Bruce can either attack Harvey, threaten him or remain silent as he is knocked out and taken away. As he is taken away, Bruce tries to talk Harvey's enforcers out of obeying his orders, even trying to make them see his friend has gone insane. Depending on dialogue chosen, Bruce might be able to convince one officer, but they are executed by the other for "not having the backbone". Before he/they can shoot him, Gordon arrives and guns the enforce(s) down. Talking to Bruce about how Harvey has fallen, Gordon worries that they might not be able to save or stop him. With Bruce giving some advice, Gordon decides to act upon it. Though he offers Bruce a lift, he declines, commenting that he has another way. Bruce decides to meet Harvey as Batman, hoping that he could get through to him. Upon arrival, Batman finds Dent on the roof, talking to himself. Depending on whether Batman saved Dent or Selina, he will either try to negotiate with him (if saved) or refuse to talk to him (if disfigured). Harvey refused to lay off his plans, regardless of dialogue chosen, and orders his men to blow up the warehouse where the Arkham drug was kept. When Dent reveals that he had ordered Gordon to be executed for objecting, Batman threatens him to tell him where Gordon is. Dent reveals that he has been taken to Crime Alley, prompting Batman to leave as the enforcers try to shoot him. Arriving at Crime Alley, he saves Gordon from two of Dent's enforcers. Confronting him on how Dent got access to the information he gave him, Gordon reveals that he had threatened the information out of Commissioner Grogan. Deciding that Dent might be too powerful to stop, Batman gives him some advice on what he must do. As he leaves, Gordon comments how he is glad the vigilante is on his side. Returning to the Batmobile (and changing into a batsuit if he chose to go as Bruce), Batman contacts Lucius to learn that Penguin has been using a Black Box to break through the Batcomputer's firewalls and hack his tech. Realizing that the device could only be at Wayne Enterprises, he also learns from Alfred that Harvey and his men have arrived to seize Wayne Manor. With his tech and home at risk, Batman must decide who he will stop first. * Stop Penguin. * Stop Two-Face. Batman decides to stop Penguin and the Children of Arkham from hacking his network, telling Alfred to barricade himself into the Batcave. Arriving at Wayne Enterprises, Batman will either have to negotiate the building himself or with assistance from Lucius, depending on whether he was asked to stay at Wayne Enterprises or work for Bruce Wayne. Despite being discovered, he is able to subdue both Children of Arkham members and Penguin's drones, eventually finding the criminal in the CEO's office. Confronting Penguin in his office, Batman listens as the criminal mocks him and monologues on their plans for the city, though can use this as a distraction to figure out how to defeat Penguin and his men. If this option is chosen, this is unsuccessful, due to the hack. When Penguin realizes what is going on, he nullifies the simulations. Deciding to attack, Batman takes out Penguin's men, but is thrown into the Elevator to R&D by one of the drones and held there by Penguin as they drop to the department. Arriving, Penguin reveals the black box and places on a pair of experimental gloves, hoping that they will give him the edge in the fight. Despite his knowledge of combat techniques, Batman is also placed at a disadvantage with his tech unable to work. Despite Penguin's upper hand, Batman is able to remove and disable the gloves, using tools within the department, and break his leg, defeating him. With Penguin refusing to talk, Batman either restrains or knocks him unconscious. He then destroys the Black Box with a hammer, stopping the hack and saving his tech. He then alerts the GCPD, leaving Penguin strung up in a stairwell. The episode ends with Harvey standing outside of a burning Wayne Manor, watching with his men as it falls apart. When one of his men asks him what to tell the public, he says to say that "Wayne put up a fight". Batman decides to stop Harvey and his men from taking over Wayne Manor, telling Alfred he will be there shortly. Though he tries to use his drones to monitor and plan out his attack from a distance, the hack causes it to crash. Deciding to confront Dent the "old fashioned way", he subdues one of the Mayor's enforcers and confronts him. ''If Batman saved Dent, he will try to rationalize his actions and ask Batman to help take down Bruce Wayne. However, if Dent was disfigured, he will scold the vigilante for protecting Bruce and for not saving him from the Penguin.'' Despite his objections, Dent orders his men to fight the vigilante. Though Batman is able to take down most of the enforcers, he is forced to hide when Dent begins shooting at him with a machine gun, filled with Explosive Slugs. Forced to ascend to the second floor, Batman tries to use height as an advantage by gliding over the Mayor, only for the latter to get a shot in. With his men holding Batman down, Dent prepares to execute Batman, only for Alfred to shoot him with a rifle. With Dent distracted, Batman is able to summon a cloud of bats, causing Dent's men to let him go. Throwing a Batarang into Dent's rifle chamber, Batman causes the gun to explode and burns the mayor's left arm. He then defeats Dent by tackling him to the floor, with help from his grappling gun. With Dent and his enforcers defeated, Batman hands them over to Gordon. Though the Lieutenant is happy that the mayor has been removed from power, he is unsure whether to send him either to Blackgate or Arkham Asylum. Whichever Batman suggests, Gordon will leave to do so whilst Batman returns to the Batcave. Upon arriving, Bruce learns that Penguin's hack is almost complete and that the Children of Arkham have access to the Batcomputer. With no other option, he decides to cut off the Batcomputer completely, deactivating most of his tech and crippling his operations as Batman. In-Game Decisions Accurate as of July 27, 2017 Agreed to Owe Joker a Favor? * 49.5% of players agreed to owe Joker a favor * 50.5% of players did not agree Use the phone or stop the fight? * 68.8% of players used the phone * 31.2% of players stopped the fight Rammed the barricade or paid off the enforcers? * 48.8% of players rammed the barricade * 51.2% of players paid off the enforcers Talked to Harvey as Bruce or Batman? * 43.9% of players talked to Harvey as Bruce * 56.1% of players talked to Harvey as Batman Went after Oswald or Harvey? * 54.4% of players went after Oswald * 45.6% of players went after Harvey Credits * Bruce Wayne/Batman * John Doe * Joan Leland * Sane Lewis * Arnold Wesker * Victor Zsasz * Harvey Dent * Lady Arkham * Alfred Pennyworth * James Gordon * Selina Kyle * John Vale * Patricia Vale * Adopted Boy * Renee Montoya * Oswald Cobblepot * Peter Grogan * Lucius Fox Deaths * John Vale * Patricia Vale * Numerous Innocent Civilians * Numerous Police Officers